Electrographic position location apparatuses are known. One such apparatus was made by V-Tech and was called the Record 'n Learn Pad. This product had a pad and a pen. The pen was coupled to the pad with a cable.
A book was disposed on the pad when the pad was in use. The pen was used to select words in the book. After selecting words, audio for the selected words could be heard through a speaker in the pad. The pad also had a separate microphone and record button. When a user depressed the record button, the user's voice was recorded. Recording was in progress when a red light on the pad illuminated. To play back the recorded voice, the user could press a play button on the pad or select a “play” icon in the book with the pen.
While the above described electrographic position location apparatus is useful, a number of improvements can be made. For example, in the above-described apparatus, a user could only record a voice and then play it back. There was no ability to integrate the user's voice into a unique passage such as a story or into a game. Accordingly, the apparatus did not use the user's voice in a manner, which was interesting to the user.
In addition, the microphone and the record button in the Record 'n Learn Pad were physically integrated into the pad in a manner that made the microphone difficult to use. The microphone was located in a position flush with the surface of the platform so a user tended to bend down and speak with his or her mouth near the platform surface. This recording position is physically awkward for the user and results in poor recording quality because frequently the user is either to close or too far away from the microphone and the user's diction is compromised by the physically awkward position.
Also, in some instances, the user may not want to use the microphone and may simply want to use the apparatus to electronically read a book without using the record function. If the user does not want to use the record function, the bulky microphone-containing apparatus must still be used. In some circumstances, it would be more desirable if the user had the ability to choose whether or not to use a microphone with the above-described pad.
Other toys have allowed a child to record his or her name, and then hear his or her name played back when the toy is first used. For example, after recording his voice, a toy may say start a play process by saying “Hi (name)! Let's play”. However, although such toys can intersperse preprogrammed audio with user-recorded words, the level of interaction is limited. It would also be desirable if a user could interact with a toy to a greater extent and in a more interesting way than just using the user's name. It would be desirable if the user could hear his or her voice along with pre-recorded audio, for example, in a story or game.
Embodiments of the invention address these and other problems, individually and collectively.